Police say gang activity remains on rise in N.J. BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN - At least one high-ranking state police official recently stated that gang activity in New Jersey is on the rise and is not only confined to urban areas. This was part of Sgt. Ron Hampton's message during his presentation as part of the New Jersey Gang Summit 2007 Focus on Prevention, hosted by Brookdale Community College on June 26. Hampton said that gang activity has yet to plateau and that it may be tough to predict the future of this problem. "Nobody in law enforcement really knows what will happen in the future," Hampton said. "What I can safely say is that we are behind California, which for years has been the leader in gang activity. I feel like we're always about 10 to 15 years behind them as far as trends and how much violence really occurs within the state. Hopefully, in this state, we can find a way to stop all of these problems." Hampton did mention that nearly every municipality in the state recently responded to a statewide survey on gangs, something he feels is important in deterring gangs. Hampton said there are approximately 140 gangs in operation in New Jersey. The Bloods, long recognized as having a stronghold in the Los Angeles area, now have nearly 40 subsets in this state alone, according to Hampton. Another of the day's speakers, retired Detective Joe Viola of the Bergen County Sheriff's Department, spoke about how gangs are having a significant impact on the youth of local communities. "Gangs not only increase violence and crime in our neighborhoods, but they also affect things like the colors of clothing that our kids wear, and also where we choose to live and where we want to go and socialize," Viola said. "Kids also for some reason feel like people in gangs are good role models." Like Hampton, Viola also said that New Jersey is right behind California in terms of gang activity. "We're just like California except we're on the East Coast," Viola said. "To me, there's not much of a difference at this point." Viola also said the media has had a major impact on youth development when it comes to gang life and how some rap artists glorify it. "You also see it in sports apparel as well," Viola said. "Some kids wear a particular team's cap or T-shirt strictly because of the colors." The program was aimed toward approximately 150 educators and social workers, and was intended to illustrate the problems that gangs present to society.